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Ptech
is pleased to announce it's newest integrated management solution
addressing enterprise Knowledge Management (KM) requirements. Ptech
understands that the real need of enterprise KM is not just knowledge
management; rather it is all about value creation. There are significant
differences between value-creating, latent, and irrelevant knowledge
as well as structured, semi-structured and unstructured knowledge
(details).
A thorough understanding of this these key dimensions is the basis
for Ptech's KM Solutions.
Ptech's KM solutions are designed to enable managers
to answer knowledge management value questions like:
Click here to learn more… (Value-creating
Knowledge Details)
Value Mapping: "What
are my enterprises' explicit value streams"_
If an enterprise doesn't explicitly know what
htmlects of its products, services and intangibles are valued by
its customers and in what proportions, then it is blind.
The purpose of value Mapping is to make these
Value Stream components visible, actionable, maintainable and sharable
by the enterprise.
Value maps are created by cross-functional management
teams in one or two day sessions. The teams produce a systemically
consistent set of explicit value streams that are then analyzed
by them for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOTs).
Detailed Knowledge Map example: Value Mapping
White Paper: KM
and the Value System
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Knowledge Mapping: How can I quickly identify
their highest value leverage knowledge variables_
A Value Map shows all of the key systemic enterprise
value interrelationships. An analysis of the dynamic patterns of
these relationships combined with the combined experience of the
management team quickly results in identifying the highest leverage
variables.
These high leverage variables can be grouped in
categories, including Knowledge, for further analysis. These analyses
can be additional "drill-down" Value Mapping in the case
of complex high-leverage variables [see the yellow highlighted variable],
SWOT analysis, Balanced Scorecard Metrics candidates or SWOT Strategy
development.
Detailed Knowledge Map example: Value Map Analysis
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Capability Mapping: What are the corresponding highest leverage
value-creating capabilities_
Knowing what the required Value Stream requirements
are is only half of the task of creating value; an enterprise must
also have the required capabilities.
The purpose of Capability Mapping is to ensure
that the enterprise has the right types and amounts of capabilities
required to support the high leverage Value Stream tasks.
Capability is much broader than just competency,
but includes motivation, as well as enablers such as processes,
tools and information. Key value creating tasks need to be mapped
to the corresponding key capability component(s).
Detailed Knowledge Map example: Capability
Mapping
As Value Stream task requirements changes, capability gaps will
be noted in the capability maps. These gaps must be anticipated
and closed by the appropriate resource re-skilling and re-balancing
White Paper: KM
and the Value System
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Strategy Alignment: How can I efficiently and
effectively align my business & IT strategies_
A common enterprise problem is aligning business
and IT strategies. This is complicated by the fact that business
and IT have different focuses and speak different languages.
Knowledge mapping provides a way for these different
groups to jointly create a shared model of the enterprise. Knowledge
maps systemically relate and integrate all of the key variables,
business and IT, in the enterprise. Typically a the today-state
knowledge map is created first. Since this map is created by the
management team in a one-day workshop, there is ample time for both
sides to develop a common language and agree on the key issues and
opportunities.
Detailed Knowledge Map example: Causal Architecture
Mapping
The second future-state KMap is created by the
team to resolve the issues and exploit the opportunities identified
in the today-state knowledge map. The mapping process ensures that
the Business and IT relationships are systemically consistent and
aligned. As a result, unintended consequences of from conflicting
goals and strategies are eliminated.
White Paper: Mapping
Organizational Knowledge:
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Assumption Management: How do I manage all
of my business strategy/scenario assumptions_
In today's fast moving business landscape, there
is a continuously evolving set of feasible strategic scenarios available
to an enterprise. These feasible strategic scenarios depend on complex
sets of assumptions. As assumptions change, some of these scenarios
become irrelevant. Managing a portfolio of assumptions, with their
multiple strategy and scenario linkages is a difficult problem for
strategic planners.
Assumption Management enables a strategic planner
to manage their portfolio of assumptions by: 1. Being able to create
and manage the assumption and its data and test conditions in one
place. 2. Explicitly linking the assumption to all strategies and
scenarios that depend on it, 3. Having software agents automatically
search for and update assumption test values and 4. Having the KMA
automatically report the Assumptions that exceed test limits along
with the strategies and scenarios effected.
Detailed Knowledge Map example: KM Scenarios
and Assumptions
The Assumption Management capability in the KMA
enables a strategic planner to spend far more their time analyzing
the impacts of real-world Assumption changes on the enterprise's
strategies versus administering the assumption portfolio. In addition,
the Assumption Management capability enables the enterprise to minimize
its strategic risk by successfully handling a wider range of possible
scenarios.
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How can I develop a systemically complete and
really balanced Balanced Scorecard_ (Systemic-BSC)
The traditional Balanced Scorecard (BSC) methodology,
created by Robert Kaplan and David Norton, has done a great deal
in focusing management attention on the need for a balanced set
of multi-dimensional metrics for enterprise success. They have also
shown the advantages of linking the BSC to strategy, both in creation
as well as tracking the results. In practice, however, implementation
of the BSC methodology typically has several weaknesses, particularly
in the areas of effectiveness and completeness. This is because
the BSC is a static model trying to describe businesses, which by
their very nature are dynamic systems. By incorporating systems
dynamics modeling methodologies together with Ptech's modeling capabilities,
a much more complete, effective and useful Scorecard, the Systemic-Balanced
Scorecard (Systemic-BSC), can be developed.
Detailed Knowledge Map Example: Systemically-Balanced
Scorecard
Ptech's Systemic-BSC methodology dramatically
extends the power and effectiveness of the traditional BSC concept.
(Ptech Systemic-Balanced
Scorecard White Paper)
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Causal Architecture(sm): How can I best utilize the Zachman Framework
to efficiently manage enterprise strategy & projects_
A common request of Enterprise Architects is for
help in best utilizing the Zachman Framework to guide Enterprise
Architecture (EA) modeling as well as integrating and managing IT
& EA strategy and projects.
Causal Architecture(sm) explicitly links and aligns
Business strategy to IT strategy and guides the prioritized high-value
development of the Zachman Framework. Starting with a joint Business-IT
Value Map, the management team prioritizes the set of highest value
SWOTs, and their corresponding strategies. The sectors of the Value
Map are located in the appropriate Zachman Framework cells; the
prioritized strategies and projects guide the Enterprise Architecture
modeling.
Detailed Knowledge Map example: Causal Architecture
& Zachman Framework
Utilizing Causal Architecture(sm), EA teams can
focus on modeling the highest value cells of the Zachman Framework
as well as use the Framework to integrate and manage strategies,
projects and the overall development of the EA.
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KM Life Cycle Management: How do I manage and
enable the KM life cycle_
Knowledge Management is not well defined and it
is difficult to communicate KM and its value to management (as also
is the case with a similar discipline:) Enterprise Architecture).
Knowledge is created by models (Using
Models for Knowledge Management white paper) and models require
management. The Knowledge Management Life Cycle concept has been
accepted as a crucial component of enabling KM. It does this by
making the process component of KM real. As a process, the KM Life
Cycle requires a specialized set of roles to support it.
Detailed Knowledge Map example: KM Life Cycle
& KM Roles
The KM Accelerator facilitates the modeling of the KM Life Cycle,
linking key activities like knowledge use to explicit value-creation
in the appropriate locations in the enterprise. In addition, the
KMA also helps ensure that the required KM life Cycle roles are
recognized and staffed.
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Communities of Practice: How can I encourage knowledge sharing
in my enterprise_
Only part of the highest value-creating knowledge
exists in the form of explicit documents, and databases. Some of
the most immediately valuable and fastest to access knowledge is
in the heads of enterprise knowledge workers. Experienced knowledge
workers spontaneously and voluntarily form networks with similar
knowledge workers to share and create knowledge. These networks
are called Communities of Practice (CoPs) or Interest.
Since they are voluntary and self-emergent, Communities of Practice
are difficult for enterprises to locate and nurture. All CoPs depend
on communication, from face to face to virtual. Enterprises can
support CoPs by providing these communication capabilities as well
as making it easy for prospective CoP members to find them and join.
Not all CoPs linked to high value stream activities: Value Maps
can help differentiate these as well as point to the need for or
possible existence of CoPs.
Detailed Knowledge Map example: KM Community
of Practice
By focusing on nurturing the top value-leveraging
Communities of Practice, an enterprise can tap into their otherwise
inaccessible implicit and intangible knowledge. CoP members are
often a rich source of unique and scarce knowledge and experience,
especially to newer members.
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KM and EA: How can I integrate my KM and Enterprise Architecture
programs_
KM and EA are both knowledge management processes
and manage knowledge in the form of models.
Enterprise Architecture is a specialized knowledge domain of an
overall enterprise Knowledge Management program. As such, many of
the KM life cycle processes, roles and enablers can be replicated
in or shared with an Enterprise Architecture Program. An enterprise
Knowledge Map is an ideal mechanism for identifying and coordinating
these common factors between KM and EA.
Boston Eenterprise Conference Presentation March
2001: KM & Enterprise
Architecture: An Opportunity for Synergy
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